During the day, we'd tested the resilience of our neck muscles, turned many hydrocarbons into eardrum-rattling sound and did our best to chew up the soft and grippy tires — all with the aim of evaluating Mercedes' latest performance coupe.

However, despite its 503 horsepower, grumbly exhaust, and super sports car looks, I just wasn't that into the thing. It ticked all the boxes, but it was missing that certain something for me. It felt too clinical, too impersonal. It didn't feel that special.

2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S on Angeles Crest Hwy.

Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

No sooner than I had said that then a matte gray Lamborghini Aventador passed us going to the other direction on the mountain road. As it ripped past, through the dark and low windshield, I could see the driver of the Italian supercar give me an an acknowledging and, most importantly, approving wave.

"And then there's that," I said aloud.

By that I meant, if a driver of a $400,000 Aventador can wave at the GT S, it means the long-hooded AMG indoctrinates you into the ultra-elite supercar club — for a third of the price of anything else in that realm.

Replaying that image over in my mind as we descended Angeles Crest, I bit my lip and decided I needed to give the GT S another think. More importantly, it (and I) deserved another day of hardline driving.

Supercar looks

The GT S might look like the now-extinct gull-winged Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar. However, it's a bit less extreme.

First of all, it has normal doors that open like a regular C-Class instead of distinct doors that open up like the wings of a sea bird. Instead of sharing the SLS' 582-horsepower 6.2-liter V8, the GT S has a twin-turbo 503-horsepower 4.0-liter V8 under its elongated hood. This power propels the GT S from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds compared to the 3.6 seconds it took for the SLS to hit the same speed from a standstill. Perhaps most importantly, however, the GT S is priced at $129,900 whereas the SLS started at $221,580.

Looking at the GT S, however, you'd never know these things. From the sidewalk, the GT S looks a lot like the next-gen SLS. So immediately, its imbued with additional value.

The AMG GT-S doesn't have gull-wing doors like the old Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (above).

Image: Mercedes-Benz

That additional value is carried into the cabin as well where occupants are cocooned in optional carbon fiber, fine leather and something called "DINAMICA" fabric that is designed to mimic the look of suede.

In the center of the dash, Mercedes has installed a screen that appears to float in the dash, which is controlled by a knob in the center console. The shifter of the 7-speed AMG dual-clutch transmission is cleverly shaped in such a way that you can rest your wrist on it while you operate the COMAND infotainment knob.

On each side of the transmission tunnel is a strip of silver plastic made to look like aluminum that houses many buttons, including ignition, drive mode, traction control, audio volume and — importantly — the exhaust baffle controls.

2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S interior

Image: Mercedes-AMG

Although I found the look and feel of these buttons and the trim in which they're embedded far too cheap to the touch to be in such an illustrious car, they were the only blemish in an otherwise very enjoyable interior.

Perhaps the best part of the cabin wasn't the sporty seats or carbon fiber trim. Instead, it was the sound of the exhaust that permeated the cabin. And it was that sound — that 1960s American muscle car sound — that helped push me over the edge from to fall in love with the GT S.

Now, I'll admit it's not the sound you might expect to hear looking at a German sports car. Honestly, because the engine is extremely cutting-edge with its twin turbos and direct fuel-injection, you might expect something a bit more tinny or mechanical — like a sewing machine on full tilt.

2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S headlight.

Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

Instead, the sound of the GT S' 4.0-liter V8 is aggressive and primeval. It's very lion-y in its deep growl and sonorous roar. Its the sort of sound that might make the prehistoric part of your brain want to sharpen a pointy stick in anticipation of an attack from a wild beast...if it weren't already occupied looking through the windshield for the next threatening corner.

The Snake

I found my love for the GT S while hammering it up "The Snake," the portion of the Mulholland Highway in Agoura Hills. I don't know what it was about that road or that evening, but I perfectly harmonized with the car. I ascended the mountain much faster than I have in any other vehicle.

At one point, I even got the tail to kick out a bit on one hairy bend. But I was easily able to bring it back into line. That's another thing I loved about it; it's so compliant, so easy to drive hard (much easier than the aforementioned SLS, I should say). And thanks to its complicated traction control computers and sticky tires, you can pull g-forces in the corners that would make a fighter pilot faint.

Once I got to the top of the Mulholland Highway, there was so much adrenaline in my veins, you probably could have jumpstarted a tractor off of my heart. I was hooting and hollering and slapping the steering wheel with pure joy. It was just outstanding.

After I had finished my cool-down lap of sorts, I clicked the drive mode selector from Race back into Comfort and headed back for the highway and cruised into town. That's when the other bit about the GT S hit me: Just how comfortable it can be when you're not trying to set unofficial hillclimb records.

Granted, by normal Mercedes standards, the suspension is a bit stiff — so, too, is the chassis. However, by sports or supercar standards, it's pillowy. Although I didn't indulge in this feature, you can also make the exhaust quiet, too, by closing the extra exhaust system baffles with the push of a button.

With my own money

2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S on Angeles Crest Hwy.

Image: Nick Jaynes/Mashable

It was that evening that pushed me over and made me reconsider the GT S.

No, it's not the most outrageous car or the fastest or the best looking — and it is lacking a bit of zazz (that undefinable something that makes something extra special). However, it's just so gosh darn good at everything it sets out to do that I can't help but love it.

When it comes down to it, looking at the market of sports and supercars, the GT S is the one I'd buy — if I could afford it. That's because, truly, it's a super-comfortable supercar that won't make you look like you're trying too hard to impress. Nor will it leave you stranded on the side of the road every week in a cloud of smoke.

More than all that, on the weekends, it can make you feel like a driving god, while also attracting the friendly waves of Lamborghini drivers. If, you know, those sorts of things are important to you.

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